Population-based prevalence of optic disc haemorrhages in elderly Japanese

doi:doi:10.1038/eye.2008.247

Eye (2009) 23, 1032–1037; doi:10.1038/eye.2008.247; published online 1 August 2008

Population-based prevalence of optic disc haemorrhages in elderly Japanese

A Tomidokoro¹, A Iwase², M Araie¹, T Yamamoto³ and Y Kitazawa⁴ and The Tajimi Study Group⁵

¹Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
²Department of Ophthalmology, Tajimi Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan
³Department of Ophthalmology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
⁴Akasaka Kitazawa Eye Clinic, Tokyo, Japan
⁵Japan Glaucoma Society, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence: A Tomidokoro, Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. Tel: +81 3 3815 5411; Fax: +81-3-3817-0798; E-mail: tomidokoro-tky@ umin.ac.jp

Received 31 January 2008; Revised 7 June 2008; Accepted 7 June 2008; Published online 1 August 2008.

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Abstract

Purpose

To estimate the population-based prevalence of disc haemorrhages (DHs) in an elderly Japanese population and evaluate related factors including optic disc morphology.

Patients and methods

Colour fundus photographs were taken during the screening examination of the Tajimi Study, during which 3021 of 3870 eligible residents of the city aged 40 years or older were screened (response rate, 78.1%). All fundus photographs were graded by one masked examiner to determine the presence of DHs.

Results

Good quality fundus photographs were available for both eyes of 2761 subjects. DHs were found in at least one eye of 34 subjects (1.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8–1.6%). The prevalence was 14.0% (95% CI, 8.0–19.9%), 9.7% (2.9–16.6%), and 0.4% (0.1–0.6%) in subjects with definitive glaucoma, glaucoma suspects, and subjects without glaucoma, respectively. Logistic regression analyses indicated that DHs were associated with glaucoma (P<0.001), glaucoma suspects (P<0.001), and older age (P=0.032). No Heidelberg Retina Tomograph parameters differed between subjects with and without DHs.

Conclusions

The prevalence of DHs was 1.2% in an elderly Japanese population, which was similar to other population studies. In addition to glaucoma, older age was associated with higher prevalence of DHs.